On March 8, 2014 RM Auctions put on their annual Amelia Island Auction at the Ritz Carlton held in conjunction with the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance. Total sales of $35,947,500 and a 97% sell through rate made this year’s sale RM’s most successful Amelia Island sale ever. See all the auction results and prices realized here.
Among the lots sold were four notable collectible Mercedes-Benz cars, including a 1957 Mercedes Benz 300SL Roadster originally owned by Natalie Wood that realized $1,842,500. A white 1961 Mercedes Benz 190SL sold for $143,000 while a 1971 280SE 3.5 Cabriolet in Anthracite metallic sold for an impressive $335,500. Rounding out the 4 Mercedes cars was a much more modern 2007 SLR McLaren Roadster selling for $275,000.
The high sale of the auction was the 1937 Delahaye 135 Competition Court Torpedo Roadsterbelonging to the late Malcolm Pray that sold for $6,600,000, a new record for the most expensive car sold at an Amelia Island collector car auction.
The Malcolm Pray 1939 Delahaye 135 Competition Court Torpedo Roadster by Figoni et Falaschi at the 2007 Hilton Head Concours d’Elegance. Photo: Dave Tobin
I had the opportunity to see this beautiful Delahaye Roadster several years ago at the 2007 Hilton Head Concours d’Elegance on Hilton Head Island, SC. MR. Pray brought a number of his cars to that event, including the BMW 507 that RM also sold at this auction. The Delahaye is an impressive car with bodywork by Figoni et Falaschi it must have stopped traffic when driving around in the late 1930s.
What can the Mercedes-Benz collector take away from RM’s Amelia Island sale? There were fewer Mercedes at this sale than at many RM sales throughout the year, but it’s safe to say that the 300SL Roadster market is strong and should remain so for the foreseeable future. The 280SE 3.5 cabriolet result here was awfully strong, there were a few months last year when those were ‘just’ $250,000 cars, apparently really good examples can bring significantly more than that when presented at the right venue.
RM’s next auction is in Monaco on May 10, 2014, their next auction in the United States is in Monterey, CA in August.